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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — of the year
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. track — a song
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. row — a line
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — help
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. race — a contest
  24. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com